SueCwikispace

This project is for health care professionals in the first years of practice. I am exploring ways to collaborate, share, and learn, using Web 2.0 based technologies. In this case, I am the novice using the technology to further my skills as a teacher. You are all in the novice stages of your health professional careers. My goals are to share my experience and guidance as a clinician, to provide a forum for sharing experiences, and to learn from all of you how best to use Web 2.0 technology to improve my teaching skills. I have moved the discussions box back next to the edit button. I have also uploaded some relevant articles about students, novice development, reflective writing, and my case study paper and poster that features Lindsey Brown in her novice year as a PT. I added Eileen's reflection using the LEaP guide about a difficult experience she had involving interpreter services. Please upload a photo of yourself on the home page by clicking edit, then File, then Upload. Don't worry about anything that you might do by mistake, as I am finding you can always revert, edit, change things around without too much trouble. My latest thought is to develop an interactive journal or blog. I am very interested in the subject of narrative medicine, and would love to pursue this topic using Web 2.0 interactive technologies. The wikispace is only accessible to the 5 of us, where the blog is open to all. Check out the link from The New Yorker that Lindsey forwarded to me by an endocrine surgeon.

Hi group: It is March 1st, and I think I have confused people. This wiki is again only available to the 5 of us in this group. I would like you all to feel free to use it as a "closed" blog; meaning only the 5 of us can view/comment/edit. As you can see, the Health Professions blog is on the internet, so that is accessible to all. I am using this page to play around with the different aspects of a wiki. Any of you can actually write and respond on the home page by clicking the edit button, and typing! I have not opened a separate page on the wiki for a novice "blog", thinking it is simpler for us to use the home page for any communication. Hope everyone is doing well, and thanks for any input or feedback. S.C.

Well, just because I have experience does not mean that I am exempt from the challenging patient! Yesterday, a new patient came in for evaluation, 15 minutes late, having forgotten her prescription, essentially already setting the scene...... In short, this feisty 85 year old had to be redirected during the interview so many times that I finally heard myself saying...."you have to stop talking." Of course, in my head, what I said was..."will you please just shut up?!!" but, thankfully, my professional filter worked, so that what did come out of my mouth was appropriate. Interestingly, I had a student witness and participate in this encounter, and later, we both were able to reflect on it. In this case, I did have to take control of the evaluation, having planned on letting the student take the lead, because otherwise, the PATIENT was leading it. Though I strongly believe in patient centered care, this patient was talking so much, going off on so many tangents, that without my taking control, we wouldn't have been able to do the physical examination. The student was able to observe how I handled her, and we talked about how one can't allow the patient to steamroll over the clinician! Lots of aspects of this patient's story and situation make her a potentially excellent rehabilitation candidate, but, from the beginning, she let us know that, first, she didn't believe therapy would do anything, and secondly, she wouldn't do any exercise on her own. So, I had to educate the patient that, if she wanted to have intervention, but didn't believe it would help her, and that she wouldn't do any prescribed exercise, then there was no point in going forward. It amazes me how many people still have the mind set that health professionals, and rehabilitation specialists in particular, can "fix" whatever is wrong with them. My most successful outcomes happen with those patients who understand from the get go that the most important skill I can offer them are those things that they can do to help themselves. Self care strategies, including joint protection strategies, are the hallmark of conservative PT intervention and for me, a very satisfying part of my job as an educator. The feisty one has scheduled 5 or 6 visits, although, in parting, she wanted us to know that she didn't want to look like a little old lady (hence, the reason she insists on using a baby umbrella stroller instead of a walker!) Again, in my head, I wanted to ask for her DOB in response, but thankfully, professional filter was still engaged. We'll have to see how this goes...... I originally posted this on the blog, then quickly took it off as I realized there were way too many patient identifiers. Safer protected wikispace entry, with only 6 members. S.C.

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